• Food Navigator-USA, Tuesday, September 29, 2009 10:49 AM

A senior analyst at Mintel says that some of the stevia-sweetened products that have hit the shelves so far may do more harm than good, Caroline Scott-Thomas reports.

"Taste is what it's all about," says David Browne. "I think that, of the products that are out there right now, some of them don't taste very good. There is a real 'what if' in the market: Is the taste good enough to convert consumers?"

The great appeal of stevia-derived sweeteners is that they are all-natural and calorie-free. Although the stevia market is still in its infancy, Mintel expects sales to exceed $100 million this year, with high purity Reb A accounting for 80% of that business. Mintel values the whole of the sugar substitutes industry at $800 million.

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